2008 Ford Harley Davidson F-150 Test Drive: Beastly

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Oct 30, 2009

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IRVINE, Calif. — We just spent a day with Ford checking out the 2008 F-150 Foose Edition, which we saw earlier this year at the New York auto show, and testing out the all-new Harley-Davidson F-150, which is just a total beast. Both trucks are supercharged—that's the big news. The blower comes standard on the Foose and is a $6500 option on the H-D. Thanks to the folks at Saleen, who developed the supercharger for the 5.4-liter V8, the Harley and Foose Editions both belt out a full 450 hp and 500 lb.-ft. of torque. Now these are our kind of trucks.

The Foose Edition, with its 22-in. rims and lowered suspension, reminded us of the old F-150 Lightning model. But legendary hot rodder and customizeraccording Chip Foose says it's a whole new animal—and a limited production model at that, with just 1500 trucks available. Bummer.

Good thing the $45,000 Harley is one of those vehicles that makes breaking the law just a little too easy. Within a few seconds of dipping our toes into the pedal, those 500 lb.-ft. of torque were effortlessly thrusting the the truck forward, and, before we knew it, we were pushing 80 mph on the 405 freeway. This rowdy truck was just itching to hit triple digits, but after passing the California Highway Patrol, we had to rein it in. The engine is still hooked to Ford's traditional, four-speed automatic. It works well but, honestly, could use a couple more gears. With an engine like this, a six-speed automatic with closely spaced gears would probably make it even quicker. The handling was fairly responsive for a ½-ton, 4-door pickup, hugging the on and off ramps like a much smaller, nimbler vehicle. It's a fullsize pickup that's actually fun to drive. Overall, this is still an F-150, but it's an F-150 meant for hauling … something other than hay or tools. They'll sell every one they make. —Brittany Marquis